The relationship between stress, bile function and digestion

A choleric person is generally believed to be angry, easily upset and losing his temper suddenly. This popular wisdom also suggests that stress has a negative effect on the release of bile as it enters the doudenum via a channel, the vater papilla, the visceral muscle of which contract (spasmodic contraction) under stress causing the mouth of the channel becomes narrower and less permeable, so the bile is unable to reach its destination where it would be used.

Therefore, when we sit down to eat under stress and also consume fatty food, this contracted vater papilla does not allow bile to flow properly. This may cause bloating after meal. Although enough bile is produced, it does not reach the doudenum and does not properly break down fat.

’Stress has a major impact on the entire digestive system, including bile production / excretion. Disruption of bile production / excretion reduces or suspends one of the body’s very important defenses, the so-called physicochemical defense based on the detergent effect of bile acids. In lack of this protection, the body becomes defenseless against certain intestinal toxins (e.g. endotoxins) and the so-called “big viruses” (like herpes).’ Source: Dr Lorand Bertok: New Aspects of Stress Pathophysiology (H. Science, 2007/05)